In 2024, the Krakoan Age of the X-Men ended. No one was shocked because nothing good lasts for Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants. One of the people who took this the hardest was En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse. He thought Krakoa was the mutants’ last opportunity to reach their true potential and be the fittest. This disagreement led to a fight between him and the X-Men.
After losing a battle and listening to reason, Apocalypse realized that his ways were outdated. Instead of remaining stubborn, he held a tournament to name an heir (this happens in X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse). Surprisingly, Doug Ramsey (a.k.a. Cypher) came out on top.
It’s been under a year since then, and Jed MacKay’s X-Men No. 19 finally showed us all what Cypher has been up to since.
Doug is living with his wife, Bei the Blood Moon, and his best friend, Warlock. Doug (now named Revelation) is still trying to figure out what it means to be the new Apocalypse and how to best use his new abilities. He’s tougher, and his mutant power to understand language gives him the ability to (as he puts it) hack brains.
After being attacked by an anti-mutant group named Z.E.R.O. (because that’s the number of good mutants), Doug, Bei, and Warlock decide it’s time to go see the X-Men. According to Marvel Comics, what’s coming next is a new Age of Apocalypse called Age of Revelation, and it starts in October 2025..
Marvel.com describes the event with this synopsis:
"The world is beholden to the will of REVELATION! Doug Ramsey commands Earth with his voice, creating the Revelation Territories, a new mutant utopia built on an insidious lie. Beneath the surface, rebellion brews and as a ragtag X-Men team strikes from the shadows, Revelation faces threats from within. Welcome to the AGE OF REVELATION!"
Marvel Comics announced the five books that will be in this X-Men crossover, and they are,
- Amazing X-Men: Written by Jed MacKay, with art by Mahmud Asrar
- Binary: Written by Stephanie Phillips, with art by Giada Belviso
- Laura Kinney: Sabretooth: Written by Erica Schultz, with art by Valentina Pinti
- Longshots: Written by Gerry Duggan and Jonathan Hickman, with art by Alan Robinson
- World of Revelation: Written by Ryan North, Al Ewing, and Steve Foxe, with art by (various)
Each of these has interesting titles and smart choices for the creative teams. For example, Stephanie Phillips (Phoenix) has been writing Jean Grey’s time as Phoenix in space since the end of Krakoa, and Laura Kinney: Sabretooth is being written by the same writer as Laura Kinney: Wolverine. They know the characters and setting, so it makes sense that they’d carry their characters or themes in this crossover event.
The other thing people should pay attention to is what has changed in the past 10 years from the present. It looks like Wolverine doesn’t have skin on his face, and we don’t know why. Also, is he Revelation's assassin? Mojo is running a show featuring non-X-Men characters, Wonder Man, Hellcat, Bishop, Rhino, and Kraven. And, why is Laura Kinney Sabretooth instead of Wolverine? Lastly, what happened to the rest of Marvel's heroes and villains?
- The Last Wolverine: Writer: Saladin Ahmed, with art by Edgar Salazar
- Omega Kids: Written by Andres Genolet, with art by Tony Fleecs
- Radioactive Spider-Man: Written by Joe Kelly, with art by Kev Walker
- X-Men: The Book of Revelation: Written by Jed MacKay, with art by
Netho Diaz
The Last Wolverine stuck out for me. We’re seeing the possible future of the teenager named Leonard, who Logan helped overcome the curse of the Wendigo (this happened in Saladin Ahmed's Wolverine). The Age of Revelation future that may not happen, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see Wendigo Leonard and Logan team up in the present.
- Unbreakable X-Men: Written by Gail Simone, with art by Lucas Werneck
- Sinister’s Six: Written by David Marquez, with art by Rafael Loureiro
- Rogue Storm: Written by Murewa Ayodele, with art by Roland Boschi
- Iron and Frost: Written by Cavan Scott, with art by Ruairi Coleman
There is a lot to unpack here, but the biggest is the description of Rogue Storm. According to the description, “She is a goddess driven mad by dark magic and grief. Now, as Storm threatens to freeze the world into a new Ice Age,” and it’s up to Rogue’s team (Gateway, Iceman, Fantomex, Spiral, and Warpath) to stop her. Who’s death is so tragic that it would turn Storm into a killer? Was it her daughter and the father of her child? Is the future Eternity shown to her from The Age of Revelation?
This event feels a lot like Sins of Sinister, but with a character who has good intentions instead of a dirtbag like Nathaniel Essex. But, as the phrase goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Also, in the last slide in the image above, you can see there are more titles being released where the creative team hasn't been released. Among them are Undeadpool and Cloak or Dagger. That means we could get more one-shots in the future. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see if that remains true.
Age of Revelation is scheduled to be released on October 8, 2025. However, X-Men: Age of Revelation No. 0 is available now.